At 444 S. 700 East, Danell and Steve Murdock have chosen to keep their Victorian mansion despite repeated approaches from developers and major changes on the surrounding block. They say nearby construction has cracked the foundation of their 136-year-old home and left the driveway sloping downward.
The Murdocks bought the Hancock Mansion in 2013 and have repeatedly turned away developers seeking to buy the property, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The couple attributes the foundation problems and sloping driveway to nearby digging and heavy equipment. Danell Murdock told the paper that she often feels the house shake during the workday.
The Murdocks also say an independent shade study found that, under current development plans, sunlight will reach their windows for only about one month of the year, according to the Tribune. The mansion is in Salt Lake City's Central City historic district, where city guidance says exterior changes and proposed demolitions are subject to local design review, according to Salt Lake City Historic Preservation.
What City Guidance Covers
Salt Lake City Council District 4 describes Central City as a mix of uses, from single-family homes to high-density apartments, offices and businesses. The city says its design guidelines are used by staff and the Historic Landmark Commission to review proposals affecting landmark sites and properties in local historic districts, according to Salt Lake City Council District 4 and Salt Lake City Historic Preservation. These descriptions do not identify parcel-specific zoning or establish whether nearby construction caused the damage the Murdocks report.
A separate Salt Lake City case involved direct damage during demolition, not reported damage from nearby construction: in April 2024, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that an excavator working for the owner damaged the Fifth Ward meetinghouse at 740 S. 300 West during an unauthorized partial demolition. That case does not establish what caused the Murdocks’ reported structural problems.
A Changing Block in a Mixed-Use District
Several neighboring sites have been cleared or approved for redevelopment in recent years. The Phillips Congregational Church, built in 1907, was demolished in August 2025 to make way for new condos, and the property that had housed Big Daddy's Pizza was approved for demolition in 2023. The former Modern Display store, which had operated at its site since 1980, was also torn down for a six-story apartment building, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Just south of the mansion, a six-story commercial building from the 1980s was demolished to clear the way for Trolley North, a planned student housing project at 675 E. 500 South. A June report from the Tribune described a mid-rise luxury complex with at least 195 dwellings in two buildings of seven and eight stories, a three-level garage with more than 330 stalls, and about 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. REBusinessOnline describes a 395,000-square-foot, eight-story development with 200 apartment units totaling 607 beds and four levels of parking. The figures differ, and the discrepancy is unresolved. The trade publication reported that developers Brinkmann Constructors and Kayne Anderson had broken ground on what they call Trolley North Apartments.
A House With a Long, Layered History
The Hancock Mansion was originally built for businessman Thomas F. Mulloy in 1890. Col. William M. Ferry Jr. purchased it in 1901 and gave it to his daughters, Kate Hancock and Mary Allen. After Kate Hancock died in 1940, her daughter, Mary “Hollister” Hancock, inherited the home and lived there for most of her life until her own death in 1976. The following year, Pam March leased and restored the house, opening her floral business, Every Blooming Thing, inside it.
The mansion survived a fire in the 1980s that required replacing the downstairs floor. It retains Victorian-era Shakespeare tiles depicting Romeo and Juliet, a redwood staircase and original upstairs pine flooring, according to the Tribune. Danell Murdock said the home is rumored to be haunted by Hollister Hancock and draws ghost tours around Halloween. The couple runs its graphic design business, Design of Today, out of the mansion.
Preservation Advocates Urge Compromise
McKay Muhlestein, interim executive director of Preservation Utah, said cities should push developers to design projects that complement the existing uses on a block rather than overwhelm them. The Murdocks say they've asked developers to consider setbacks and ways to incorporate the historic mansion into their building plans, rather than simply building around it.
Despite the shaking, the sloped driveway and the shrinking sunlight, Danell Murdock said she and her husband would make the same decision to buy and preserve the mansion again. She said she wants the house to stand for at least her lifetime, and believes the area will start feeling like a neighborhood again once the new apartment buildings are finished.
